Spring-wheel



SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I6, |921.'

1,393,630. Patented .001, 11, 1921.'

f 161 16a I i l l Aromvfrs UNITED STATES ANDREW F. MCGRATI-I, 0F NEW' YORK, N. Y.

SPRING-WHEEL.

Application iled February 16, 1921.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW F. MCGRATH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Spring- Wheel, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to spring wheels and the general object of the invention is to provide a wheel of the indicated type improved in various particulars with respect to the arrangement and form of the resilient ele- Inentsgiwhereby to provide for yielding oi" the wheel rim relatively to the hub portion and characterized by strength and simplicity as well as convenience of assemblage.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication.

Figure 1 is a partly sectional side elevation of a wheel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectional side elevation illustrating a modification.

Referring at first more particularly to F ig. 1, the numeral 10 indicates a hub of a wheel adapted to be applied to an axle, and l1 indicates a rim having any approved tire 12. In the hub 10 are radial pockets 13 in which operate plungers 14 on resilient spokes 15, said spokes being secured in any suitable manner to the rim 11, there being shown heads 16, it being understood that the heads 16 and plungers 14 may be secured by any approved means. In each pocket 13 are coil springs 17 between the plungers 14 and the inner ends of the pockets and other springs 17l coiled about the spokes 15 at the outer sides of the plungers 14, the springs being yieldable to the movement of the plungers radially inward or outward, when the spokes are vertically disposed, said spokes by their resiliency yielding laterally when disposed horizontally or at any angle to the vertical. The outer ends of the springs 17a abut against screw plugs or bushings 18, screwing into the hub 10 at the pockets 13 and closing the latter.

4In connection with each resilient spoke 15, I provide bowed springs 19, 20, these being arranged in pairs, the springs 19 associated with a given spoke being radially inward from the adjacent spring 20. Prei erably, the outer springs 20 are formed unitary while the separate bowed springs 19 are provided at each side of the spoke 15. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 11, rear.

Serial No. 445,401.

spoke 15 passes through the adjacent spring 20 and through a collar 21 slidable on said spoke, the adjacent ends of the springs 19, 20 being secured to said collar by rivets 22 or equivalent fastening means. The inner ends of the springs 19 are secured by screw bolts 23 to the hub 10.

In Fig. 2 the hub section 10at has pockets 13a receiving the plunger 14a pertaining to each resilient spoke 15a, the described springs 17, 17a being employed in this construction also. The spring 1'?a abuts against a bushing or screw plug` 18a having a flange 18b which is secured by a bolt, 23a, Vto the hub 10, said bolts also serving to secure the inner ends of springs 19L disposed at opposite sides of resilient spoke 15a. The outer ends of the springs 1921 are secured to springs 20a, both of said springs being' slightly bowed and the outer ends of spring 2O'nl being secured by bolts 24 to a block 16a into which the outer end of spoke 15@L screws, said block being flanged as at 16b at the outer side of the rim 11'?I at the inner side of the tire 12% rEhe adjacent ends oi the springs 19a, 20L are secured together by transverse bolts 22a, or other suitable fastening means. The springs 19a, 20a are slightly bowed to permit them to dex in response to the axial movement of a spoke 15a and also they may Hex laterally in response to a lateral fiexure of the spoke.

The arrangement cf separate springs 19a, 20ZL is to minimize the strains on the springs for reducing the liability of breakage and also the arrangement serves to minimize the expense in renewing the breakage should it occur.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A wheel of the class described including a hub section, a rim separate irom the hub section, resilient spokes movable axially relatively to the hub, and adapted to flex later ally, springs acting on the inner ends of said spokes, the outer ends ci the spokes being secured to the rim, springs oppositely dis posed in pairs at opposite sides of each spoke to flex toward and from each other transversely to the spokes and secured at their inner ends to the hub, and additional oppositely disposed springs placed radially outward from the second-mentioned springs, the second-mentioned and the third-mentioned springs having their adjacent ends fastened together.

2. A wheel of the class described including at their inner ends to the hub, additional springs placed radially the spokes, and means fastening the adjacent ends of the second-mentioned and third- Vmentioned springs to said collars.

ANDREW F. MCGRATH.

outward from they second-mentioned springs, collars slidable on l0 

